A heavy drinker died after he took 100 paracetamol

A heavy drinker died after he took 100 paracetamol tablets in 48 hours to ease acute pain in his pancreas, an inquest heard.

Anthony Brennan, 43, who had been HIV positive since 1991, often suffered abdominal pains but was ‘too embarrassed’ to go to hospital.

Ivan Dinev, told Southwark Coroner’s Court that his partner Mr Brennan had been binge drinking the week before he died.

‘In the last few days I realised he had been taking paracetamol.

‘He rang a friend of ours and said: ”I’ve got a pain and I’m taking paracetamol, hopefully I’ll be all right in a couple of days”.

‘He said ”I don’t ever want to go to hospital”.

‘All the doctors and nurses know me, and it’s too embarrassing.

‘

The court heard that Brennan had tried to overdose in 1989, and was frequently admitted to hospital for treatment for HIV, and following drink binges.

Mr Dinev said he did not believe that Irish-born Mr Brennan, of (43) Squires Court, Binfield Road, Clapham, intended to take his own life.

‘A few days before it happened we were planning holidays for summer.

There was no way he wanted to harm himself.

‘

Mr Dinev called for an ambulance at 7.

44pm on February 7 this year after Mr Brennan began vomiting.

Friend Augustus Romain said in a statement that Mr Brennan told him he had taken 60-100 paracetamols over the past few days.

‘He said he kept taking them because he could not endure the pain,’ Mr Romain said.

Mr Brennan was admitted to St Thomas Hospital and consultant Dr David Treacher said he had ‘grossly impaired’ liver and kidneys.

On February 9, Mr Brennan suffered severe multiple organ failure and died later that day.

Pathologist Dr Patrick O’Donnell said that Mr Brennan had both acute and chronic pancreatitis and his pancreas was ‘shrunken and scarred’.

Dr O’Donnell said some 48 hours later he still had 198mg of paracetamol per litre of blood.

’70 milligrams or more is very serious after 24 hours,’ added Dr O’Donnell.

The doctor said Mr Brennan’s HIV positive condition was ‘irrelevant’.

Coroner Mrs Selena Lynch said the evidence pointed to Mr Brennan ‘self medicating’ his pain.

‘When I read the papers there was a suspicion this might be an effort at suicide, but on hearing the evidence it’s quite clear it wasn’t.

‘There’s evidence of acute pancreatitis and somebody used to having alcohol and drugs doesn’t have the respect for these things one ought to and it’s obvious this has led to an accidental death for him.

‘

Verdict: Accidental death.

ends